The collection of eight Montserrat orioles Icterus oberi and their establishment at Jersey Zoo

Severe volcanic activity from the Soufriere Hills volcano on the Caribbean island of Montserrat has caused serious damage to much of the island's rema ining forest since the volcano's initial eruption in 1995. A decision was m ade by the Montserrat Alliance (a consortium of conservation bodies) for th e Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust to collect a small number of Montserr at orioles Icterus oberi (Montserrat's only endemic bird species) and mount ain chicken frogs Leptodactylus fallax and return them to Jersey Zoo in ord er to carry out captive husbandry and breeding trials. This paper describes the successful capture and maintenance of eight orioles in Montserrat, the ir transportation to Jersey, and their initial establishment in the quarant ine facilities at Jersey Zoo.